Pottawattamie County approves special election to decide new board election process

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - A special election in Pottawattamie County has been approved for August 1.

After a petition gathered thousands of signatures, the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an August 1 special election to change how the county board of supervisors is elected.

Voters will decide from these three choices:

Plan One: Elect supervisors at large.

Plan Two: Countywide vote, but candidates must be from specific districts.

Plan Three: Elect supervisors by districts.

The county currently uses Plan One, and petition organizers want to switch to Plan Three.

If Plan Two or Three passes, they expect to have four Council Bluffs districts including suburbs like Carter Lake and one rural district. There would also be a process involving a temporary redistricting commission, which would aim to avoid gerrymandering by dividing districts by population as equally as possible.

Early voting for the special election starts July 12. Absentee ballots are available to be requested now. Polls will be open on August 1 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Managing Editor Kevin Westhues contributed to this report.

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